Syria intervention: Some say no; some still considering it

Democrats say Republican U.S. Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land has gone too far in using the volatile situation in Syria as a fundraising tool for her campaign.

Land is soliciting money, saying she'd vote "no" on a question of U.S. attacks on Syria under consideration in Congress, while asking her supporters to urge her opponent, Bloomfield Township Democratic U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, to also vote no. Peters hasn't taken a position yet.

But Republicans say that's a fair question in what's likely to become an increasingly contested race for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Carl Levin in 2014.

"They can't straddle that fence too long," Patterson said of congressional deliberations on whether the U.S. should intervene in the Syrian civil war. "Whatever's going to happen is going to happen in the next two weeks, so he'd better say something now."

Patterson, who calls himself a hawk, says he sides with Land in opposing U.S. intervention in Syria - vehemently. But, he said, people should know where Land and Peters stand on the issue.

"I want to know where Terri Lynn Land stands on that issue and any candidate that's going to go to Washington and make the rules," Patterson said.

Haley Morris, a spokeswoman for Peters, says he's mulling it over.

"As a former naval officer, Gary takes the decision to use military force very seriously," Morris said. "He went to Washington this week for more briefings and will continue to speak with experts and people in Michigan before making a decision."

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Charles Crumm covers politics for The Oakland Press. Read his Elections, Politics and Policy blog at http://oaklandmichiganpolitics.blogspot.com/. Reach the author at charlie.crumm@oakpress.com
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